redbook is a Brighton-based duo formed by Swiss-born pop-lover Soraya Grosso and British-born guitarist Jake Tweddle. With Soraya’s rich, soulful vocals and Jake’s punk-inspired folk instrumental creativity, redbook’s sonic output stitches various genres together into a new sound that’s entirely their own.
In 2017 they unveiled their highly original sound with their debut five-track EP Sampler, returning in 2019 with their first single “Midnight” ahead of their sophomore EP Big Smoke Sessions. Winning over fans and tastemakers alike while continuing to release new music, including a remix of their single “I Love You” by Hadron Sounds and a live recording of “little friend,” the pair took a break from releasing new music while continuing to play live and tour the UK.
Now they return with brand new music, bringing us their latest release with the single titled “SHOUT.” Taking their own experiences of anxiety and panic attacks, they distil their perspective into a wildly creative alternative folk outing, using shifting rhythms and an evolving arrangement to reflect the erratic and unpredictable nature of the song’s context.
Opened with bright acoustic guitar plucks, Soraya’s expressive voice glides in to deliver lively vocal leads, cut with swelling voice textures and echoing delay as the song rises to the chorus. Taking flight with dazzling harmonies, backed by the gentle rhythm of a shaker, instantly memorable hooks ride above the stripped back arrangement.
With Jake injecting electrifying sonic energy into the song, deep bass synth rumbles and punching drums completely switch up the song’s aesthetic as Soraya’s vocals take on a new intensity to spin rap-tinged flows. After the full sound of the instrumentation, percussion and split vocals, the breakdown features multiple overlapping vocal lines to reflect the overwhelming noise and overstimulation of panic as the song builds to an anthemic finale.
Driving drums, layers of guitars and sensational vocal leads all collide in a spectacular crescendo to close this epic new song that sees redbook make a thrilling return to sharing their unique sonic vision. Released via Future Youth Records, the Los Angeles-based non-profit imprint provides the perfect platform for redbook to present their music instilled with important themes and messages about vital causes.
We caught up with rebook to find out more about their musical journey so far, their new single “SHOUT” and what they’ve got lined up for the future. Check out our interview with redbook below.
Hey guys, howâs things?
Soraya: Things are really good, super excited to be releasing a new single. Itâs been a minute and weâre happy with how itâs been received so far.
Jake: Yeah, and really excited to have a chat with you guys.
How did you get together as a duo?
Soraya: We met on the first day of uni and instantly connected. We became really good friends first and then started working with each other.
Jake: I had very little choice in the matter – Soraya very much chose me! She had a couple of songs she wanted to work on and we haven’t stopped writing together since.
Which artists do you draw most inspiration from?
Soraya: We draw inspiration from a bunch of different artists and genres. Some of our favourite ones are Frank Turner, Halsey and Lizzy McAlpine. We find ourselves feeling quite inspired by them.
Jake: Soraya always comes from a more pop/R&B background and I was more of a punk and folk kid. That difference in approach is something weâve always really enjoyed and makes for some really interesting stuff when writing together.
How else do you find inspiration for your music?
Jake: Chat. We are constantly chatting and talking about where weâre at, what’s going on in the world and how weâre feeling. I tend to be a tad irritating and twiddle on the guitar during these conversations and before you know it a song is well on its way.
Soraya: Yeah, thatâs pretty much one of the main ways that we songwrite. We do bring ideas that weâve had individually to the table as well but a lot more happens through conversation and just opening up to each other about how weâre doing.
What was your highlight of the year for 2023?
Soraya: 2023 was quite a rough year for us. We had to take a step back as we werenât doing too well emotionally and had to prioritise our mental health. A lot of our new songs are inspired by where we were at mental health-wise in 2023.
Jake: Absolutely. After cancelling and rescheduling our 2022 tour thanks to COVID and all the challenges that came with that we really took a hit. I guess the highlight of 2023 was rediscovering our creative process and finding a new direction for our music.
What do you love about the Brighton music scene?
Jake: Ah, Brighton! The music scene here is so diverse with a wonderful âlive and let liveâ attitude so thereâs always something you never expected to see around the corner.
Soraya: Itâs incredibly inclusive and people really want to help you if they can. Itâs such an inspiration to see so many artists and there are so many music events going on every night which is brilliant.
What would you say is the perfect setting for listeners to enjoy your sound?
Soraya: Thatâs a tough one! I guess we want our music to be the soundtrack to peopleâs life so each song is very different. If youâre depressed and feel low, listen to SHOUT, if youâre lovey-dovey I LOVE YOU is the song for you and if you want to feel hope LITTLE FRIEND is your friend.
Jake: Might sound soppy but one of my favourite Frank Turner Lyrics is âI still believe that everyone can find a song for every time they’ve lost and every time they’ve wonâ – I like the idea that people could find that in our sound.
Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with?
Soraya Grosso: Weâve got a bunch of artists weâd love to work and collaborate with but Christof van der Ven and Cordelia are at the top of our list at the moment.
Jake: Couldnât agree more.
How has your own style and sound evolved since you started out?
Soraya: When we started weâd always worry about having to stick to specific genres. This has definitely changed in the last year or two. We learned to embrace all the different musical influences we both have and have been working with an incredible producer who co-produces our tracks and is pushing us to own our sound.
Jake: Our sound certainly got less apologetic recently. Itâs exciting to be embracing more synthesis, warped and processed sounds and having them take up more space in our music. Loads has changed for sure but at the core of our music is the duo – guitar and vocals. That always remains there as our sound develops around it.
How did you find making your new single âSHOUTâ?
Soraya: SHOUT came together really organically. We started writing the song in 2020 during the first lockdown and picked it back up when we were planning our first UK tour in 2022. We performed and arranged the track to go with a 3-piece Gaelic choir and after the tour, SHOUT just stayed stuck in our mind. After the difficult year in 2023, the song just kept on resonating more and more with us so we picked it back up and created a full-produced version of it.
Jake: Bringing the track to life in the studio was so exciting. We had some core moments we heard clearly but then weâd track some outrageous synth or Iâd get a metal-head mate to lay down some screams – all of which found their way into the track! I constantly found myself asking – âreally, weâre gonna go with that??â and that was really energising.
What message did you want to get across with this release?
Jake: Less of a message and more of a capturing of an experience. Everything we did with this song was to capture the process of a panic/anxiety attack and translate that into the music. Hopefully, others can relate to that feeling and know theyâre not alone in it.
Soraya: Exactly! People who have experienced a panic/anxiety attack know how ruthless they can be and how you canât control yourself out of it, so we wanted to capture the journey from start to finish.
Howâs it been working with Future Youth Records?
Soraya: It was really lovely to join forces with them on this song. They are big advocates in pushing music with a social justice cause at heart so we enjoyed collaborating with them on SHOUT.
Jake: As Independent artists, having a label jump behind you for a release and support you is fantastic and this song seemed to line up perfectly with their ethos.
What artist have you been listening to most recently?
Jake: Architects, Christof Van Der Ven, Orla Gartland, Sebastian Schub, Don Broco, Dodie and, as always, a healthy dose of Frank Turner.
Soraya: Troye Sivan, CHINCHILLA, Annalisa, Mon Rovia, OneRepublic, Sabrina Carpenter & Dua Lipa to just name a few.
Whatâs the main thing you want people to get out of listening to your music?
Soraya: To feel less alone. In a world where everything happens so fast, you can easily feel like youâre falling behind and failing. But weâre all in the same boat just trying to figure out what to make of this life.
Jake: Absolutely. Music is our way of expressing and if what we create helps someone else express too, that’s the real goal. Itâs such a privilege when you hear that someone connects their own experiences and interpretations to your music, making it their own.
I guess an added bonus would be being a little less genre-phobic. I still find myself falling into the same listening habits sometimes, which can be a wonderful thing, but thereâs a big olâ world of music out there and if we can bring even a little sonic diversity to someoneâs day to discover and enjoy new sounds – that would be a great take away.
Whatâs been your favourite live performance so far?
Jake: Albury for sure. A little town in Surrey with the loveliest community. We shot our âlittle friend live at the old Saxon Churchâ video there in the middle of winter and later returned to this stunning 1000-year-old church on our tour in 2022. It was really special to build a show from scratch with our choir and bring it back to the very space that sparked it all!
Soraya: For me, it would be St. Pancras Old Church in London. Such a beautiful venue and the sound was incredible. We had our 3-piece choir join us on that performance as well.
Who would be 3 artists to headline your dream festival? And where would it be?
Jake: Frank Turner, Bon Iver and Architects. It would certainly be an interesting line up and as long as it is packed and dry – Iâm easy.
Soraya: My dream festival would be a city festival which uses a bunch of weird and quirky spaces as their âstageâ (e.g. a clothing store, art gallery or old Manor Houses) and itâs all only acoustic performances. The artists Iâd love to see headlining them are Tori Kelly, Cordelia and Yebba – just incredible vocalists with beautiful lyrics.
Do you have any advice for a new artist wanting to follow your footsteps?
Soraya: Donât be afraid of making mistakes. We wasted way too much time worrying about things having to be perfect which kept us back for so long. Nothing will ever be pure perfection but we learned to embrace the imperfections in the process which created something much more unique.
Jake: Donât apologise. I spent way too long worrying about âwe donât sound like Xâ or âthat âs not how X did itâ and embracing what you create for what it is taking it one step at a time was not only freeing but sustaining for me.
Finally, what do you have lined up for the rest of 2024?
Jake: Back to the stage! Weâve been away from performing for long enough so lots of live shows in the works.
Soraya: Not to mention, releasing more music and continuing to craft our sound.
Listen to SHOUT below
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